A 38-year-old Dubach man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl in November, according to the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Kevin Wayne Jackson, of 140 Louisiana Highway 3072, was charged with sexual battery Dec. 13, and is currently booked in the Lincoln Parish Detention Center with a bond set at $35,000.
LPSO spokesman Maj. Stephen Williams said Jackson was interviewed and questioned by LPSO deputies Tuesday after a forensic interview was done Dec. 5 at the Children’s Advocacy Center in Ruston.

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Traffic was blocked and hundreds lost power on Tuesday afternoon after a vehicle apparently left the roadway and collided with a utility pole.
Ruston Police Department Lt. Tim Parker said at around 4 p.m. a Mercury Grand Marquis, driven by Regina Black, 56, of Ruston, was northbound on Georgia Avenue. It appears the woman had some type of medical emergency, Parker said, and went off the road by Emmanual Baptist Church where she hit the utility pole.
“There were no skid marks indicating she was probably distressed,” Parker said.

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PENSACOLA, Fla. — A man has been charged in the death of Caroline Ardis Marbury-Smart, daughter of late William and Virginia Marbury, of Ruston.
Marbury-Smart, 53, was found dead in her Pensacola condominium on July 23.
Charles Boshell, 46, of the 4400 block of Mobile Highway, was extradited from Louisiana on Monday and booked into the Escambia County Jail. Boshell has been charged with murder in the death of Marbury-Smart and with dealing in stolen property.

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Area residents will have an opportunity to support the Domestic Abuse Resistance Team on Saturday through a locally sponsored Zumbathon.
Stephanie Hart, a local Zumba instructor, said the idea came about when other local Zumba instructors were trying to find a way to do something together.
“We started trying to find a good organization to work with,” Hart said. “That’s when we came across DART. We wanted to raise money for a worthwhile organization.”
She added DART will be given a lump sum donation after the event.

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Danny O’Flaherty will present “A Celtic Christmas” at the Library Events Center at 10 a.m. Friday.
O’Flaherty evokes the richness of Celtic Christmases past through tales of the yuletide customs of the Celtic nations of Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Brittany, Galicia and the Isle of Man.
Attendees are invited to slip back in time to savor the Christmas season as it has been celebrated among the Celtic people for centuries. This Celtic Christmas program explores the old yuletide customs in both story and song.

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Two hours of Zumba with six different licensed Zumba instructors — three from Ruston and three from Monroe — will keep participants moving and dancing on Saturday at the Bobby James Gymnasium. And it will all be for a good cause.
Starting at 10 a.m. in the Bobby James Gymnasium, 605 James St., Ruston Parks and Recreation ask you to join us for two hours of Zumba® Fitness for a great local cause, DART — Domestic Abuse Resistance Team of Ruston. All of the proceeds raised will go directly to DART.

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The Louisiana Tech Stone Theatre is proud to announce the cast for “The Adventures of Robin Hood,” directed by Professor of Theatre Paul B. Crook.
Performances are scheduled to run Jan. 31-Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in Howard Auditorium, located in the Howard Center for the Performing Arts, located on the Corner of Adams Boulevard and West Arizona Avenue.

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The North Central Louisiana Arts Council Arts Academy for Adults proudly presents Beginning Guitar Theory with Cain Budds.
Budds will teach the two-hour class, from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 14. The only requirements for participants are a guitar and a desire to increase their knowledge of music theory.

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Editor’s note: This is the first of a two-part series. The second column will run on Dec. 21.
Anytime I happen to get nostalgic (and perhaps just a bit sentimental), almost invariably I think of Brother Pic. He was the preacher at our country church many moons ago and arguably the best man I ever knew.

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